Not sure where to put this, but I thought I let the live players know about a course being taught at UCLA Extensions starting Nov (if you're around the LA area).
https://uclaextension.edu/pages/Course.aspx?Reg=250878

I'm 90% sure on taking it, unless someone convinces me otherwise in the next couple of days.
Would love to have some 2+2 company while I'm there also.

The instructor also has a beginner's course but I think that might be too novice for people who actually play poker. I assume the more intermediate course will go over some interesting and challenging subjects.

the teacher's info looks like he's a tournament player mostly, but for the money, its not really that expensive. the question would be how much of a winning player he is with only one cash

http://www.pocketfives.com/articles/...rofile-586631/

Is that the same person?
I think this is the guy (maybe)
http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=257202

This is an even worse selling point of his poker prowess, but I don't think that the class's focus is to help you play better, at least not directly. I think it's to gain a better understanding of the game.
I'm a winning 5/5 (sometimes 5/10) player and I *think* I have the fundamentals down, but I could probably benefit from having some of my gut feel plays quantified and better understood.

yes that's him, and your right, but perhaps you can speak with him before registering by contacting the school? Maybe they can give you his email address for more information (on the class and his background in poker).

I wonder if he was a grinder who paid his way through college and won a ton in cash then quit poker for his career, or maybe not. Def worth looking into further tho.

I'm interested as well. So its a live class right?

Do you think this mostly tournament playing? or Cash game playing??

Personally I only want to learn cash...(not saying im a beginner or whatever)

If anyone takes this class, I'm down. Let me know more informatiom.

Thanks
Leonard

I don't know where this thread would go, so I'm inclined to leave it here. Personally, I'd ask him what an "intermediate skill" means. Is that beating 1/2, beating 2/5, crushing 2/5 or beating 5/10? While 15 hours of instruction at first glance seems a lot, understanding how to use ranges, developing bluffing frequencies and GTO play are conceptually easy to explain but takes a lot of work to develop.

Years ago, I asked the mods in the micro full ring forum to put warning labels on certain concepts of the week. Not because they were bad or wrong, but misapplying them cost way more money than the edge you would have once you mastered them. I suspect that's what most of the students will do once they finish this course.

The class topics seem appropriate for NL Holdem in general, but I've sent everyone's questions to him. I'll let you know when I hear back.

I am also mostly interested in cash games as I'm a regular 5/5, 5/10 part-time grinder. But $389 is not that bad to get a fresh view of some fundamental concepts. It's about what I lose in a single hand anyways

Here is his reply:

Thank you for your message. Please allow me to respond between the lines.

Is this strictly a math course?

No it is not. Quite the contrary. Most of the material mentioned are presented in a very simple language.
One of my main goals is to make it, so math "doesn't get in the way" so to speak.
Don't get me wrong, understanding the science behind the game is key to success. But that
does not mean that we should let numbers and equations make things confusing to us.
Math is a tool, not an obstacle, so I am approaching it as such.

When I try to explain to a concept I first approach it from a logical standpoint that should be understood
by anyone who has common sense and a basic understanding of poker. Then for the most complex
concepts I dive in and give you a scientific backup ("proof") of why things work. But in the end
I also mention the "bottom line" which is the result of the science and not necessarily the science itself.
It is this 'result' that has the most value. So I make sure that everyone gets that part.

One last thing: To take the 2nd part of this class (as opposed to the 1st part that starts in a week from now),
you prior math skill will generally not be a problem. If anything, limited poker knowledge may get in the way,
as the class assumes familiarity with basic concepts such as, starting hand ranges, cbetting, 3betting,
odds (direct and implied), pot equity and fold equity just to name a few.

If you know most of these things then you should be fine.

What's your poker background if I may ask?

My poker background in a nutshell is this:

I started playing online back in the day that Stars and Full Tilt were on the US Market. I elevated the ranks until
"Black Friday" hit (DOJ shut down the major websites) and I had to shift to live poker. I have studied the game
tremendously by spending at times 9-10 hours a day between analyzing, playing and reading/watching poker material.
Nowadays, I play mostly 5/10 NL live and whatever stakes I can find online.

I also have a math background if that interests you. I have a bachelor's with double concentration in pure and applied math.
Two master's (one in theoretical computer science and one in pure math) and a PhD in Mathematical Logic

The class topics seem appropriate for poker or NL poker in general, but would you say there's a focus more on tournament or cash game play?

We only talk about NL poker and our general concentration is around cash games.
Reason being, tournaments for the most part can be understood as a type of cash games, once
one understands how to play with or against a shortstacker. So, I thought that we would be killing
multiple birds with one stone that way. Plus, the winrates in cash games are usually higher
and the variance (fluctuations of these winrates) is usually much lower.


How do you define "intermediate-skill poker players"? Does this mean online cash game grinders at $.5/$1-$5/$10, or live cash game grinders at $1/$3 - $5/$10, or tournament players with entries between $?-$?

The stakes are for the most part irrelevant. I had a guy who was playing for 8 straight years live, before he took the
first part of the course. He learned so much from it that he started crushing his 2/5 game live for $35-$40/hour
which is quite an impressive winrate for a beginner. (He was a break-even player at best, before)

sweet thanks for the info. I think I am in. Anyone else?

Wish I lived out there. I'd take the class for the entertainment factor alone. The knowledge I'd gain would be a +EV side affect.

I'm registered! See you in class!

One more thing. A few emails later, he mentioned to me some topics that will be covered in the 2nd part of the seminar

- Balance
- Exploitable vs Game Theory Optimal (GTO) strategies
- Range vs Range Analysis,
- Polarization
- Playing Turn and River
- Optimal frequencies for bluffing
- Exploiting Weak Ranges

damn I'm in the area but it's a bit pricey for me. Haven't been playing for like the past year and would like to start, but I'll just read some books first. gl

Seems pretty cool. I would kill to teach a college level poker class lol. Would definitely keep me on my toes as far as my own play is concerned.

This is an old post and I doubt anyone is following it, but just in case they are, I wanted to follow up. I, in fact, took this course. The instructor is amazing at taking very advanced concepts and explaining them in a way that even a novice can understand.

In my fair assessment, I would say that the advanced concepts aren't immediately applicable at least live at the table, but it gave me a more solid fundamental framework and intuition of the game, specifically about game-theory-optimal play (and what that even means). The class was structured so that there'd be a lecture with lots of Q&A until every person got the concept. Lots of examples were used. Then as a bonus, the instructor allowed us to bring up our own hands for the class to discuss. That was a very interesting aspect of the class that let you get into the mind of how a poker player should think.

There's a also basic poker strategy course that he teaches that's currently taking enrollment: https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/...spx?Reg=254024
I didn't take this class, but it probably focuses more on practical skills you can apply right now at the table, and if it's taught in the same way, I think it could be very valuable.


For the record, UCLA is not giving me any commission for promoting this class (though I wish they did lol), but I wanted to let everyone know about it if this was something they were looking for. Also, the instructor Duncan and I have become friends since and we've even played at your local LA casino together. I can tell you he's not just all talk.